Sunday, May 4, 2014

Gertrude Fiske

Gertrude Fiske (American, 1878-1961)

Woman and Flowers

Gertrude Fiske took up the painter’s tools at a time when women were becoming more active in the public sphere of American life. Although still the minority, Fiske and other Boston women participated in the Museum of Fine Art’s school, which set forth a strict curriculum spanning seven years. Here, Fiske enjoyed the mentorship of artists such as Edmund Tarbell, a member of the American Impressionist group called “The Ten,” as well as Frank Benson. Between the years 1904 and 1912, Fiske also studied with Charles Woodbury at the seaside village of Ogunquit, ME; this locale served as inspiration for many of Fiske’s brightly colored beach compositions.

Due to her artistic talents, Fiske was a major figure of the Boston School and also a member of women artists known as “The Pine Hill Girls.” Today her works are featured in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Fiske and her woman compatriots were recently the subject of an exhibition titled “A Studio of Her Own: Women Artists in Boston, 1870-1940.”